Blue, white and black team switches to Belkin green for the next two and a half years

Blanco Pro Cycling has officially confirmed that, as reported earlier this month, it has signed a two and a half year deal with American electronics company Belkin, and has become Belkin Pro Cycling. The Dutch team has been riding without a sponsor since long-term backer Rabobank pulled out at the end of last year, under continual revelations about past doping in the team.

“With 19 victories this year and a new title sponsor, 2013 is shaping up to be a dream season for our team,” said Richard Plugge, the team’s general manager. “As a company, Belkin shares our values and global ambitions, so we are very excited to have them on board as our sponsor. We look forward to two and a half years of shared successes.”

Through sponsorship of the team, Belkin aims to increase awareness of its brand internationally, along with that of newly acquired wireless router manufacturer Linksys.

“Cycling relies on innovation to drive success and has a passionate, tech savvy fan base that follows the sport closely, which aligns really well with the Belkin brand,” said Chet Pipkin, Belkin founder and CEO. “Associating our Belkin and Linksys brands with this successful, well-established pro cycling team enables us to introduce ourselves to millions of people around the world and interact with them.”

The new sponsorship means a new colour scheme for the team, which has been dressed in its distinctive black, white and blue jerseys since the beginning of the year. The jersey will now switch to “Belkin green”, white and black, with both the Belkin and Linksys brands on display. The team will continue to ride Giant bikes, with the frames also making the switch from blue to green.

With an American sponsor, which has international ambitions, Belkin Pro Cycling will likely lose a little of the Dutch identity that has characterised the team since its formation as Kwantum in 1984. The current roster is made up of a majority of riders from the Netherlands, but this may change in the coming seasons as the team becomes more international.